In the apparatus that uses the motor as a driving source, a combined structure with the motor and the control unit is generally used. As the combined apparatus with such a control unit and the motor, for example an electric power steering apparatus (EPS) is known.
Such an electric power steering apparatus applies a steering-assist torque (an assist torque) to a steering mechanism of a vehicle by a rotational torque of the motor. An integrated unit that is combined with the control unit and the motor are mainly used, and the motor is connected to or is assembled with an electric parts of the control unit.
Thus, in the above motor is assembled with the control unit, even if these elements have a slight variation in dimension, the terminal connection component and the terminal connection structure are required so that an assembling operation can smoothly be performed and can be simplified.
Further, in a case of performing the simplification of such an assembling, for example, in the electric power steering apparatus, large current, which is larger than 120 [A], is passed between the control unit and the motor depending on the steering state of the vehicle. The variation of a thermal environment in the portion in the vehicle, which the control unit and the motor are received, vibration of the vehicle and the like are also known. It is necessary to consider durability and reliability so that the control unit and the motor endure such the environments for the long term.
Recently, it is necessary to reduce the environment load even in industrial products. The use of lead-free solder at the connection portion and the reduction of the number of the components are also required.
In this connection, in order to simplify the assembling of the electric parts in the control unit of the electric power steering apparatus, as an example of the combination of such a control unit and the motor, for example, technologies described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-22653 A (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-254359 A (Patent Document 2) are disclosed.
The technology described in Patent Document 1 relates to the control unit of the electric motor and the like. The control unit of the electric motor comprises a control substrate formed the drive circuit to control a supply of the driving current to the motor; a substrate holding body to hold the control substrate and be detachably fixed to the motor at a predetermined position; a substrate-side conductive member and a motor-side conductive member that are electrically connected each other and form a current supply path from the control substrate to the motor; a substrate-side support body and a motor-side support body that are made of an electrically insulating resin and are integrally and respectively provided with the substrate-side conductive member and the motor-side conductive member; and a substrate-side fitting section and a motor-side fitting section in which the substrate-side support body is fitted to the motor-side support body so that the substrate-side conductive member is electrically connected to the motor-side conductive member and the substrate holding body is positioned to the motor at the predetermined position.
The substrate-side fitting section is formed in a concave shape so that the motor-side fitting section is fitting-inserted into the inner circumference of the substrate-side fitting section. The motor-side fitting section is fitted to the substrate-side fitting section, and the connection section of the substrate-side conductive member protruded into the interior of the substrate-side fitting section and the connection section of the motor-side conductive member protruded from the motor-side fitting section are elastically deformed and are connected by a push (fitting) operation.
Further, the technology described in Patent Document 2 relates to the electric power steering apparatus. The above electric power steering apparatus comprises the motor to output the steering assist torque; a control means that is equipped with the motor, performs the control of the motor, and comprises at least a control substrate on which the control circuit is mounted, a power substrate on which the power components are mounted, and an input and output connector; and connection terminals that connects among the control substrate, the power substrate and the connector in the control means; wherein press-fit terminals are formed at one end of the connection terminals, and the press-fit terminals are fitted to through holes disposed on the control substrate so that the control substrate is electrically connected to the power substrate.
The List of Prior Art Documents